Shen

An initiative of Snow Leopard Enterprises

‘Shen’, meaning snow leopard in the local
Spitian dialect, is an enterprise started
by the women of Kibber and Chichim villages in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh to
produce and sell local products that could supplement their livelihood.

Workshop in Chichim village

Trying out a crocheted earring

Red fox bookmark

Warm socks

Learning how to crochet

The Beginning

Nature Conservation Foundation and Snow Leopard Trust have been working
for over 15 years on conserving the population of Snow Leopard and its prey
species in the trans-Himalayan landscape of India. While various conservation
initiatives carried out over the years have helped conserve the Snow Leopards,
we continue to explore newer ways to strengthen our conservation focus. One
such conservation initiative that has generated interest with local communities
in this region is that of setting up an enterprise to produce and sell local
products that could supplement their livelihood. Coupled with a strong
conservation link, the enterprise could help further reinforce our sustained
efforts to protect these endangered species.

A pilot project was started in
2013 with 50 women from Kibber and Chichim villages in Spiti valley, Himachal
Pradesh. They named this enterprise ‘SHEN’ meaning Snow Leopard in the local
Spitian dialect. The money from these products will help them offset losses
caused by livestock predation by carnivores. It also helps diversify their
income and participate in wildlife conservation of species like the snow
leopard, wolves, fox, bharal and ibex.

The Way Forward

Since we started we have held
several workshops, first exploring the skills the ladies possess and then
teaching them new skills. Currently they make crochet products
such as fox bookmarks, sheep hot pot holders, warm socks, earrings and many
more. There are several more villages who have come to join us in the winter of 2017. We will be dedicated to the old and the new villages this winter. We are also trying to work on a model which is a little customizable for all. Hoping to create a synergy between the villages of the same landscape and also in the urban markets.